2013: One in two adults in Germany is overweight

In 2013 almost 16 % of the population declared themselves impaired by health problems (15 %) or injured by accidents (1 %). Over half of the invalid (53 %) and two-thirds of the injured persons (67 %) were ill or injured up to six weeks maximum. On average an illness of the up to six weeks invalid took about ten days, an injury 16 days.

In 2013 almost 25 % of the population at the age of 15 or more years declared that they smoke. That was one percent point less than 2009. The rate of smokers amounted to 29% by men and 20% by women.

Altogether 21% of the people questioned in 2013 were smoking regularly, 25% of men and 17% of women. For men the highest rate of regular smokers belongs to the age-group from 30 to less than 35 years (36%), for women to the age group from 25 to less than 30 years (26%).

The World Health Organisation classifies adults with a body mass index of more than 25 as overweight, of more than 30 as obese. In 2013 more than half of the adults were overweight (52%), one percentage point more than 2009. Obese were 16% of the population. In all age-groups men were more often overweight than women. In all 62% of men and 44% of women were overweight.

Underweight, which means a body mass index of less than 18.5, is by far less common in Germany than overweight. In 2013 women were much more underweighted (3%) than men (1%). 13% of the young women at the age of 18 or 19 years were underweighted, still 9% of the ones from 20 to less than 25 years.